


The Other Side of the Veil

by CommonRanger



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Harems, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Powerful Harry, Time Travel, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-03 15:11:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17880116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommonRanger/pseuds/CommonRanger
Summary: Harry is locked in Azkaban after the death of Cedric Diggory in fourth year, and remains there until Voldemort finally takes over the entire world. After being thrown in the veil, Harry learns not all is as it seems.





	1. Salvation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. This is my first fic, and I am seriously stepping outside of my comfort zone posting it online. Inspired by Dodging Prison and Stealing Witches - Revenge is Best Served Raw by LeadVonE, which was inspired by From Ruin by GraeFoxx, which was inspired by I'm Still Here by Kathryn518, which was inspired by *snores*. If you like it (or hate it), please let me know. Constructive criticism is welcome, non-constructive is also welcome. Do whatever you want. Who am I to control your freedom of speech? Hope you enjoy. Side note: Am reading along as DPaSW and From Ruin are updated, and highly recommend them. Both very well made stories that feel professionally written.

The small dingy slowly approached the island. The oars moved on their own, as a man sat huddled up underneath a large, black cloak. A ray of moonlight illuminated the mans face, revealing the hook nose and greasy hair that could only belong to Severus Snape. The boat washed up on the rocks and the man stood up and walked onto the rocky shore of Azkaban.

 

‘ _Expecto Patronem”_ said the man, as a silver doe erupted from his wand. Even though the dementors had pledged themselves to the Dark Lord, it never hurt to be sure. It had been twelve years since the dark lord had taken over magical England, ten since he conquered the rest of the magical nations, and two since almost the rest of the world had fallen to him. The United States still resisted, but only because of its lack of magical relevance, and more importantly its threat of nuclear warfare. It galled him that almost all of the magical power in the world could not protect against the muggle weapons, but if the Dark Lord could not do it, then no one could.

 

The man walked up to the entrance of the almost abandoned prison, and was greeted by an old man, balding, but thin strands silver-blond hair revealed him to be Lucius Malfoy. Snape’s mind flashed back to the night long ago when the man he truly served had died.

 

He had ran through the magical barrier using the Dark Mark to protect himself, and then sprinted up the stairs. He opened the doors to find Bellatrix Lestrange and Draco Malfoy staring at Albus Dumbledore. And then, without warning, Draco’s wand swished down as a jet of green light flew out of the tip and hit the disarmed man.

 

Lucius had been freed from Azkaban for the deeds of his son, but the Dark Lord was still angry about his failure at the ministry, so he stationed him at the prison. Draco died during the Battle of Hogwarts, when the Dark Lord leaned of the Elder Wand’s true loyalty. Snape was still thankful he was not forced to carry out the act Dumbledore had assigned to him.

 

“Hello Severus, what brings you here?”

 

_“Stupefy, Obliviate”_

 

The old man collapsed to the rocky ground.

 Snape walked into the ancient prison, and began to ascend to the upper levels. The “criminals” that committed less severe crimes were kept on the lower levels, mostly things like not killing enough muggleborn or not bowing to a Death Eater fast enough, but on the higher levels, the Dark Lords real enemies were kept. Order members, Hogwarts teachers, and other serious resisters of the Dark Lord’s reign. 

Snape approached the highest level, and began to look in the cells for his fellow order members. He knew it was futile, as all of the people Dumbledore trusted enough to know Snape was actually a spy for the order were long dead. As he finally approached the last cell, he saw a pile of filthy rags lying in the corner. His eyes widened as he realized who he had seen. The boy who lived, and was still living, Harry Potter.

 

———TOSotV——-

 

Harry was thinking. That was all he was capable of. His body had long since deteriorated so much that moving at all took more energy than the meager food supply he received could provide. Harry hadn’t left the corner in two years. The last time he had moved was because he wanted to know if he could still walk. He couldn’t. Harry had been inside of Azkaban since his forth year at Hogwarts. He was blamed for the death of Cedric Diggory at the Triwizard Tournament. His Slytherin housemates hadn’t helped him because he was a Potter, his father the leader of the light. His family didn’t because Dumbledore told them not to.

 

When Dumbledore had walked into the wreckage of his family home, he had found the two twins unharmed, save for the scar on Harry’s head.  Dumbledore knew from the prophesy that Harry now had the power to defeat Voldemort; however, Dumbledore was worried that Harry would become a dark lord himself after the defeat of Voldemort, so Dumbledore had done every thing in his power to manipulate events to make sure that didn’t happen.

 

Dumbledore told his parents that Voldemort had chosen his twin brother, Henry, and now he was the child of the prophecy and boy who lived. He convinced his parents to give him to the Dursleys, where he grew up until he went to Hogwarts.

 

When Harry arrived at Hogwarts in his second-hand robes and supplies, he had been sorted into Slytherin. The world hadn’t known of the existence of a second potter child, and when they discovered that he was in Slytherin. The rumors rumors began on day one, and didn’t stop until he was arrested and put in jail without a trial.

 

But Harry wasn’t thinking about the past. He was tired of thinking about the past, as he had been in this cell for over twenty-five years now. No, Harry was thinking about the present. For the past twenty-five years, Harry had been using Voldemort’s horcrux in his head to escape the hell of his prison. Harry used the link to go into Voldemort’s mind. Voldemort could have kept him out, but Harry suspected that he began to enjoy having Harry in his head. Voldemort would kill Harry’s friends, torture innocent muggles, and expand his power while forcing Harry to watch, knowing that Harry had to stay in Voldemort mind or risk losing his sanity. Harry also watched Voldemort preform his spells and slowly began to absorb power from the link. 

 

After almost 20 years of silence, Harry thought he had finally died or lost his sanity when he heard the man he had once resented talking.

 

“Harry?” Said Snape, with a tone of utter disbelief. He continued, “We thought you were dead. We watched you die!”

 

Harry opened his eyes, and tried to speak, but couldn’t, a side effect of years of silence.

 

“Don’t speak, just listen” said Snape. “The order has fallen, so has the ministry, and most of the world. Only North America stands strong. You must go there.” Snape opened the cell door and asked Harry if he could walk.

 

“I’m the last person from the order. Voldemort still thinks I'm loyal, but we have to leave now.You are the chosen one from the prophecy. This war can still be won now that I know you are alive"

 

_“Wingardium Leviosa”_ said Snape, picking Harry up with his wand.

 

Snape walked quickly down the stairs, Harry floating behind. Snape didn’t see the sudden flash of red in Harry’s eyes. Harry suddenly started groaning, trying to force the single word out of his mouth. Snape suddenly turned around and snapped, “Do you want us to die?! Stay silent!”

 

Harry was finally able to get the single word out of his throat.

 

“Run”

 

———TOSotV———

 

Snape eyes widened as he heard what Harry said. He stared at Lily’s green eyes as he tried to decipher what he meant, but as he stared at his eyes, he saw a flash of scarlet. Then he fled.

 

He dropped Harry as he turned and then sprinted, his cloak billowing behind him as he ran down the stairs three at a time. He got out the front gates and boarded the boat, setting the oars to thrash at the water as fast as possible as he tried to get out of the anti-apperation ward. He was only feet away when he heard the high, cold voice behind him, and he realized that he had failed and Voldemort had finally caught him.

 

Meanwhile, Harry watched the entire thing through Voldemort’s eyes.

 

“All these years. You have been spying on me from the very beginning.” Voldemort’s voice shook with barely contained rage. “Why?”

 

“You tried to kill Lily,” Snape said, “And then you finally succeeded.”

 

“You betrayed me for a MUDBLOOD!” Voldemort could not longer contain his fury. “ _Sectumsemptra”_ He roared, cutting the side of his neck with the cutting curse, and then as Voldemort leaned over Snape, Snape saw a flash of green in his eyes, and then he died, knowing that he had seen the green shade of Lily Potter’s eyes for the last time.

 

After Harry saw Snape die, he was forced out of Voldemort’s mind, and then felt Voldemort trying to push into his Occlumency barriers, but held him out. Voldemort himself had accidentally taught him Occlumency, so there was no way he would be able to force himself into Harry’s mind, however, he didn’t particularly need to, as Harry was just sprawled on the steps, unable to move.

 

Voldemort found him a few minuets later. Harry heard him yell “ _Stupefy,”_ and then nothing.

 

Harry woke up in the Department of Mysteries, facing a strange veil set in a stone arch with symbols inscribed in it. 

 

"Hello Harry," said Voldemort, "I finally have grown bored of tormenting you, and have decided to perform an experiment with this strange veil. No one knows what happens to the people that go in, other than they never come out." Voldemort took a breath and continued: "If the veil kills you, then I lose a horcrux I never intended to make, but if the veil doesn't, I have a horcrux that can never be broken, thus making me immortal." Voldemort raised his wand, "Goodbye Harry," he said, as he flicked it, and the boy who lived flew through the veil.

 

———TOSotV—-—-

 

Harry opened his eyes. Normally, he wouldn’t take note of the fact that he could, but considering that he was dead, he thought it was slightly irregular. And he knew he was dead. He remembered going into the veil, and he felt his soul leave the world and go wherever he was now. And then he heard a voice.

 

“Hello Harry”

 

Harry whipped his head around, and he saw Albus Dumbledore walking towards him.

 

——-End of Chapter 1——

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Haven't decided if I will finish, but if I do choose to continue, subsequent chapters will be much longer.  
> 2-26-19 Update: Holy Shit. The response was so much better than I hoped for. Over a thousand hits, and tons of positive comments, including a couple from the author of the fic I got the idea from. Working on chapter 2 now, but have no idea how long it is going to take me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry finally has a conversation with Dumbledore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all asked for chapter 2. So here.

“Fuck off,” said Harry, his surprise at seeing the old man completely lost in the rage he felt for him.

 

“You have every right to be angry at me Harry, but if you could please listen to me, just this once, I’ll leave you alone for as long as you want,” said Dumbledore, the trademark twinkle appearing in his eyes.

 

“Why should I listen to you?! Why should I not attack you right now, assuming I even can in this… whatever the hell this place is.” Harry took a step towards Dumbledore.

 

Dumbledore frowned. His eyes transitioned from the trademark blue twinkle to a terrifying ocean of power in an instant. 

 

“I know I've made mistakes in the past Harry, and you have every right to hate me, but right now, I have vital information to give you and not a lot of time to do so”

 

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but with a wave of Dumbledore’s hand, his lips were stuck together.

 

“You have an opportunity to take your life back, to fix the past. Do you know how rare this is? You can stop Tom. But you have to listen. Do you understand me?”

 

Harry nodded helplessly, his mouth still glued together. 

 

“First I must explain how we got here.” Dumbledore cleaned his half-moon spectacles and cleared his throat and began: “On that Halloween night so many years ago, when Tom attempted to kill you, he accidentally stored a piece of his soul in you. The horcrux, already an extraordinarily rare piece of magic, took on another dimension.” Harry stared intently, anger still apparent on his face.

 

“The horcrux didn’t just stay in your body, it bound itself to your soul. Over time, it connected Tom’s soul to yours, but more importantly it connected your soul to his, making him, in effect, your horcrux.” Harry’s eyes widened a bit after hearing that, but otherwise he maintained his angered stoicism.

 

“Tom is not dead, so you cannot die; however, you cannot live a half life like Voldemort after his backfired curse because your soul _was not split._ And here, we run into a slight issue. You cannot be dead because your soul is still in the mortal world, yet you cannot be alive because your body passed through the veil that links life to death.” With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore unstuck Harry’s mouth.

 

“How can I not be alive, and not be dead? I’m talking to you, and you’re dead, but I’m clearly using my soul, which is in the world of the living?”

 

“You see, Harry, the shock of your soul being ripped from your body gives us some, shall we say, leeway. Your body left the land of the living, but your soul stayed. That doesn't happen. When people die, the body stays and the soul goes. Your soul, though it isn’t dead, is close enough for me to talk to you.”

 

“OK, so what now. Am I just condemned to wander the earth like a ghost?”

 

“Not quite. Your soul cannot die, because Voldemort is still alive, but it must return to your body in order to survive. You don’t have a body in the present or the future, but in the past, your body is completely intact.”

 

“Even if that is true, my soul can’t just travel 20 some odd years in the past. There are rules of space-time that you don’t seem to be understanding.”  
  
“Yes Harry, normally that wouldn’t be possible, but you are forgetting that the veil is kept in the department of mysteries, right next to the time turners. Almost no time has passed since you passed into the vale, and your soul hasn’t been fully ripped from you body yet. This entire conversation has happened in less than a second, so when it ends, you will have to use the magic from the separation to throw your soul into the time turners, the collision will break them open, and release the sand, sending you back. Harry stared at Dumbledore. Then blinked.

 

“Why are you helping me? You made it your mission to ruin my life. Why are you saving me now?”

 

“Because, Harry, I’ve gained perspective since my death. I had to watch for 12 years as the world fell to Voldemort, helpless to change a thing, until now. If you see my younger self, try as best you can to teach him the error of his ways. If you can't, remove him from the equation. It would also be wise for you to surround yourself with the smartest people of your world. Ms. Granger perhaps, or maybe Ms. Greengrass and Lovegood. And get Professor Snape on your side Harry. It will take some convincing to show him you are unlike your father, but it would be well worth your while.”

 

Harry started to feel a pull behind his stomach, like a portkey, except that it didn’t stop, it just kept building.

 

“Goodbye Harry, and good luck.”

 

The feeling of pulling spread to his entire body. The agony rivaled that of the cruciactus curse. Harry’s mind went blank as every thought, memory, and emotion was ripped out of his body. He held on to one thought with everything he had: The Time Turners. And then everything turned white.

———TOSotV—-—-

 

Harry heard a shrill voice cry out:

  
“Up! Get up! Now!”

 

Harry groaned. The high pitched voice was torture after the years of silence.

 

“I want you to look after the bacon. And don’t you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Dudder’s birthday.” 

 

Harry shot up after hearing that, and cracked his head on diagonal roof of the cupboard he was in. ‘I’m back in the cupboard under the stairs. It’s Dudley’s birthday. It worked.’

 

Harry opened the cupboard and looked down. He hadn’t walked in years, but he was relatively certain he wasn’t supposed to be this close to the ground. He pulled up his hands, and stared in amazement at the small, scarless hands that shined back. 

 

Harry closed his eyes and felt for the link to Voldemort. It was there, but suppressed. Harry was surprised his ten-year-old self’s ability to feel it. There is no way Harry would have been able to feel that link when he was ten. So Harry tested his Occlumency. It was there. Harry had the magic abilities that he had in the future.

 

After thinking on it, Harry determined that there is no way he could have his magic. Magic comes from the body, not the soul. 

 

“Unless…”

 

Harry didn’t get his power the normal way of studying and practice. Harry got his from observing Voldemort through the soul bond. So, Harry’s magic ability came from his soul, not his body. And if that was the case, then there would be no trace on Harry. His soul was well over 17 years old, so the ministry couldn’t track him if he cast spells. 

 

Harry was now an extremely trained, powerful, untraceable, and unregistered wizard in a house full of muggles, a wizard that still looked eight. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

 

He burnt the bacon on purpose, just to see the Dursley's reaction, and then when Vernon walked towards him menacingly, he apparated behind his uncle, stunned him, and then apperated away

 

———TOSotV—-—-

 

Harry landed at the muggle park a few miles away, and sat down on the swing to think. Based on his memory of the past timeline, he still had several years before Hogwarts, but he had no money for school supplies, a place to live, or someone publicly appear as his guardian. The Hogwarts letter had to go somewhere, after all. After hours of thought, Harry had a plan: Sirius Black.

 

In the old timeline, Sirius was his (and his brother’s) godfather; however, he realized the hell Harry would face if given to the muggles, and fought against it until it was inevitable. The fight had driven him from James, Lily, Henry, and the rest of the order. He was the only person to believe Harry, other than Lupin, and had kept trying to get him out of Azkaban until the day that he died.

 

The fate of the lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black was still a mystery. Some believed that Voldemort had him killed before he came back because of how gifted Sirius was at combat. Some believed it was Dumbledore, trying to stop the madman from freeing Harry, but the important part was that he had died trying to save Harry.

 

Sirius had enough money to provide for Harry, enough skill and political pull to protect him, and most importantly, actually cared for Harry's wellbeing. Harry disapparated with a crack.

 

———TOSotV—-—-

 

The residents of Grimmauld place were used to having people stare at the gap between 11 and 13, but none of them had ever seen an eight year old boy walk up to the gap alone and start knocking on the air. They rapidly lost interest when the boy disappeared, along with all memory of him. 

 

Harry landed on the street in front of number 12. He wasn’t entirely sure how he could see around the fidelius charm, but he assumed it had something to do with the fact that he had been given the secret in his old life. 

 

Harry walked up to the door and froze. Was he really ready to talk to his godfather after all of this time? Was the past even the same? Harry steeled himself and continued walking. He got to the door after what felt like an eternity, and raised his hand. He brought it into the door with a sudden jolt, terrified at the realization that he was about to meet the only man he truly trusted again, hoping that he wouldn’t be unknown to the man, or even worse, rejected by him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. Not the biggest fan of big chunks of dialog, and this chapter was just a massive piece of it. Hope you enjoyed it


End file.
